Cluster controller



May 2, W5@ Y I M. u. TAYLQR 2,5%33

` CLUSTER CONTROLLER Filed Jan. 15, 1947 F1 Er. 5

PIE-.E I Z3 v SWW/Wto@ MERRITT I. TAYLOR @y www Patented May 2, 1950UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLUSTER CONTROLLER Merritt I. Taylor,Richmond, Va.

Application January 13, 1947, Serial No. 721,699

7 claims. l

F., the cluster is large and loosely formed so that the bees therein maymove about with relative freedom and each insect is able to get to -thecombs to eat, while the cluster may move to fresh stores of honey whennecessary. I-Iow-v ever, when the temperature inside the hive becomestoo low, the cluster contracts in size as the bees huddle closertogether to keep warm. As a result, the freedom of movement of the beesor insects is restricted so that large numbers may be unable to get tothe combs to eat,

Vwhile the cluster is unable to move to fresh stores of honey or food.As a result, large numbers of the bees may starve while others aregreatly weakened from lack of food. Thus the ycolony may emerge in thespring in decimated and emaciated condition. Furthermore, excessive coldin the hives after the new broods have emerged in the spring, may causelarge numbers of the young bees to freeze. However, if the cluster iskept warm it will remain large enough to cover the young broods and thuskeep `them warm and healthy.

At the present it is the usual procedure of bee keepers to pack theirhives at a date generally coincident with the average date of the firstfrost of the locality. While hives may bev packed singly, it is a morecommon procedure to group them in back-to-back relation in units of fourhives per unit. A box or container is formed to accommodate the group ofhives. This box is large enough to provide space between the outer hivewalls on all four sides of the unit as well as on top and bottom. Thehives are then set upon spacers or sleepers on the floor of the case andheat insulating material such as sawdust, wood shavings, or ground cork,is then used to iill the space between the hives and the top, bottom andside walls of the case. A restricted opening is provided so that thebees may emerge on warm days. The lower the average winter temperaturefor the locality, the thicker the packing should be.

Colonies of bees under the method of packing just described, manage tosurvive in spite of the large quantities of moisture which collect inthe hives. However, packing is expensive, laborious and requires greatcare and atten-f tion if the loss of a substantial percentage of thecolony is to be avoided. I have found that by the use of a relativelysimple and inexpensive heating unit for each hive, the foregoingdifliculties may be avoided.

Accordingly, among the more important objects of my invention are (1)the provision of a heating device for hives which will enable thecontrol of the size of the aforesaid cluster and which will eliminatethe need for packing and reduce the material and labor necessary withpacked hives; (2) the provision of a cluster control device for a hivethat may be either built into the hive or added as an attachment toexisting hives; (3) the provision of a heater for hives which uses theprinciple of radiant energy with its attendant healthful, energy-savingconditions and low cost; (4) the provision of a panel heater that may beplaced in the floor, walls or inner cover of the hive; (5) the provisionof a heating system for hives that may be quickly controlled inaccordance with the ambient temperature; (6) the provision of a clustercontrol device which is easy and inexpensive to build, simple to putinto and to remove from place, and one which may be easily and quicklyconnected with a service line or header; (7) the provision of a heatedhive that reduces the cost and labor or servicing while, at the sametime, increases the output of honey per colony of bees; and (8) theprovision of a temperature control device to prevent excessivecontraction of the cluster during brood rearing -in the spring, with itsconsequent loss of brood front lower portion of a standard hive to whichmy invention may be added.

Figure 2 is a View showing my panel heater unit slid part way into thebottom board of a hive.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of my panel heater unit with top partlybroken away to show a preferred form of heating coils.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail cross section of a portion of the heaterunit to show one manner of securing the coil in place and takensubstantially on a plane indicated by the line 4--4, Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a detail View of the top portion of a hive, partly insection to show the me. ner in which a heating panel may be substitu 1for the usual inner cover, and

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view showing hor] a plurality of hives may besupplied from a single hot Water heating and circulating system.

Referring in vdetail to ,the drawing Where like numeralsfidentifycorresponding parts throngllu out, 5 indicates generally a hive having abottom board on which rests a lower section Y having four side Walls.may rest on section i. The bottom boarrn E use?? ally consists of sideWalls 9 and 13Eigu e and a rear end wall Ii, all rabbeted to rece o I2.The rear Wall H coincides withfand is coe planar with, the rear walls ofsections i However, the side Walls 9 and Hi are longer'than thecorresponding hive'section walls so that forwardly'pr' larilihgorth'beesf The' comb' are'supporte'cl'ineach section so that bees'may" cnteif h'i'veItetvveenT the iront lov'v'er eclge'f'f section 'l ETS of toscurebotli'-the :cc-Hand bottoni card "it in place.' 3W r allwf'fthe'casing is `etcll ysimilar tolthat shcvnlfor A ti,i'iligureil,the'heatirig Aalong,their rearvva'llsj l neej" 'e'theheating'units'orpaneis are to be 'placed Within e'bottomVbeardsoflthe'h'ivsa unitis simply'insertedin each hiveas ing-Fign wie' 2 'iisOther like sections such as'' 2 dfirizfanditheiic'e proceed "upwardbetween `terrially yof 'said housing' 'and a roof, lorie'saidwallhavingit'slotverfe'd" equally as well adapted for hives having theentrance at the side. A clearance of about threeeighths inch will remainbetween the top of the lpanel and the bottom edge oi the hive entrancete provide ventilation and to permit the bees to emerge on Warm days.

In Figure 5 is shown an arrangement wherein a heating panel, which maybe in all respects similar to the one shown at Figure 3, replaces theusual inner cover of the hive. I nthis case, the rear wall of top i isnotched at t to permit the'ends il and i3 of the coil to passtherethrough. In use, it is merely necessary to lift off cover IQ,remove the inner cover, and replace the'sarne with a heating panel, thenreplace the top. While I have shown the panels in the form of' an'attachment for existing hives, it will be 'clear that hives may bebuilt with heating panels permanently built into piace in the Walls,top,

orbottcrn thereof, ready for connection with hot water suoply lines.itis also contemplated that the hoi later! 'coils may repiacedf'by'electric heater/"or coil el iirwhichfcasethe'pah els would be Wired iorpluggingintoeceptaeles conrieo wit 'a so 'rc'ef ef current. Thermaestaticccntrol esponsiv'to the' ontdoor'temperature vf ald be provided'asin'tlie "clase oivater.

A's' a result'of 'r'ny'inventiongthatemperature withinth hivesbe'autmaticany'controne toV provide radiant heat in 'the fioro'peri"I'iio'unts land at the proper tinies necessary tofkepfthebe clustersfrom contracting rc ssive'ly n'The panels control the incid"'Surfacetenierature lff mpoeentpartoftn rnv tnrebyfdeue the adjacent and'oppos "d""stiffaces` 'tof' 'closely appreximate thepanrte peratu'r."Thusf'nie 'clusters' 'are maintained 'at' normar-fsm, fit-herein allbees are'able t'ollbve abityvth n1e'1a1 \/ei'fec dom 'and get 'ariadequate l'Supply-"gi" llfleylThe beebrood, before emerging-is p13'eet'ediagairisc the dagers'of"freeziri'gfand tli entir'iclo'iiy einerges'in the sprlrig'in ahealthya vigorous conditi@ 'readyfpi'iloney-gatneiihg 'f' While Ifhaveishotvand: desc ed the preme,various mouieations"and"substituuttsftii1 unit 'comprising' :a fcl'ochange means "ixed- 2. combination K Y side walls," reef` and o'or,VoneA salio its meer edge seaman-,ein said 'nder to font entranceiozr'beesfif al ig-"uhitiadar dto'ie inserted through saideentrance 'andto vfresthon said iloor, said-unit iii'cludin Ygenerally@tlrilformingVconvolutions "andfhavihgf terriiinalsie..

forI conne c+ n fvaitli external source oi heatin'gliluid v'3. Abee-hive' in" the"gen`eral form of a parallelopiped having fourl uprightsidewalls, a-'floor spaced from said'flio'or'f'to 4Ifori'rf'fanentrance, heating unit for-said'hivaand'coniprising'a ous-` ing having aheight and width slightly less than the corresponding dimensions of saidentrance and a length slightly less than the inside length of said hive,and a coil of heat-exchange tubing within said housing, said tubinghaving terminals projecting therefrom and adapted to project through andt respective openings in the rear walls of said hive as said unit isinserted through said entrance into the hive the convolutions of saidcoil lying in a single plane.

4. A cluster control device for a bee hive cornprising a radiant heatingpanel adapted to be positioned within said hive closely adjacent onewall thereof, said panel including a flat, relatively thin casing, abottom, and a hot Water heating coil in said casing and enclosed thereinby said bottom, said coil having coplanar convolutions and terminatingin ends extending through one side wall o said casingsaid ends beingadapted for connection with respective supply and return hot Waterheaders, whereby the temperature and the size of a bee cluster withinsaid hive, may be controlled.

5. In a cluster control device for a bee hive having top, bottom, andside walls, one said side wall having its lower edge cut away to form anentrance, a radiant heating panel comprising a iiat casing having a hotwater heating coil therein, said coil having its ends projectingparallel and rearwardly through one end wall of said casing, said casinghaving a height less than the vertical dimension of said entrance,whereby said panel may be slid into position therethrough with said endsprojecting through respective aper- 6 tures in the wall of said hiveopposite said entrance.

6.1 The combination with a bee hive having a. bottom, side walls, and aremovable top adapted to fit snugly over and about the upper edgeportions of said walls, of a radiant heating panel in thejgeneral formof a parallelopiped supported from said walls adjacent and closelybeneath said top within said hive.

7. The combination with a bee hive having va. bottom, side walls, and aremovable top, of a radiant heating panel positioned within said hive inupright position closely adjacent one said side wall, said panelincluding a coil adapted to receive and radiate heating energy, andconnections to said panel through said one side wall to an externalsource of heating energy.

MERRITT I. TAYLOR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the r'le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 702,833 Vogeler June 17, 19021,800,150 Musgrave et al. Apr. 17, 1931 1,847,573 Rupp Mar. 1, 1932OTHER REFERENCES The ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture, by A. I. and E'. R.Root, page 77, The A. I. Root Company, Medina, Ohio. (Copy in Div. 5.)

